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Frito Pie in a Bag

Joanie Simon
By Joanie Simon · Published September 17, 2016 · Updated August 3, 2026
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Chili is one of my favorite things to cook, simply because it's pretty hard to screw up and you can get crazy creative adding different flavors.  I have published my Nutty Chili previously, but now I'm taking that recipe and making it tailgate friendly for all your football fun times.  Hello, Frito Pie in a Bag!

Frito Pie

I've seen these swarming around the internet, so I wanted to add my own chili recipe to the red and yellow bag.  Yep, it's darn delicious!  See me slingin' the sauce over on YouTube:

Frito Pie in a Bag

Packing this dish up for a tailgate is pretty easy.  Sling the chili in a crock pot or other warming device, prep your toppings and make sure you pack plenty of bagged chips.

Don't feel like you have to stop at onions and cheddar for your toppings.  Feel free to get wild with sour cream, hot sauce, or pickled jalapenos.

Frito Pie Recipe

I do, though, recommend bringing a big bag of Fritos in addition to the smaller serving bags.  They're a little skimpy with packing the small bags, so you can supplement with additional chips as needed.

frito-chili-pie-joanie-simon-vertical-3

Happy tailgating, all and best wishes to your home team!

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Frito Pie

Frito Pie in a Bag

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.2 from 5 reviews
  • Author: Joanie Simon
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 1 hour
  • Total Time: 1 hour 15 mins
  • Yield: 16 - 24
  • Category: Entree
  • Cuisine: American
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Description

A tailgate version of Frito Pie served in a bag with homemade chili, cheese and scallions.


Ingredients

  • 16 ounces beef stew meat chopped
  • 16 ounces ground beef
  • 1 red bell pepper diced
  • 1 green bell pepper diced
  • ½ red onion diced
  • ¼ tsp Lawry's seasoned salt
  • 1 T paprika
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 T chile powder
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • ½ tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
  • 28 ounces crushed tomatoes
  • 7 ounces canned diced green chiles
  • 6 ounces tomato paste
  • 3 cups water
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 16 oz shredded cheddar
  • 16 Frito single serving bags
  • 6 scallions chopped


Instructions

  1. Start by browning 16 ounces of chopped stew beef and 16 ounces ground beef. It’s easiest to do this in batches. Once browned, drain the fat and set aside.
  2. Next, add 1 Tbs oil to a large pot over medium high heat and add in 1 red pepper, 1 green pepper and ½ a red onion, all diced. Sauté until softened, then add in ¼ teaspoon Lawry’s seasoned salt, 1 T paprika, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 T chile powder, 1 teaspoon oregano, ½ teaspoon ground coriander, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper and 1 teaspoon ground cumin. Mix the veggies and the spices together until combined. Turn down the heat to medium low and cover the pot, letting the spices seep into the veggies for 5 minutes.
  3. Then, add in ¼ cup of peanut butter, 28 ounces crushed tomatoes, 7 ounces diced green chiles, 6 ounces tomato paste, 3 cups of water and 1 teaspoon of salt. Stir to mix, then crank up the heat to medium high and replace the lid until the soup comes to a slow boil.Let it sit at least an hour, simmering away, letting the flavors intensify and the beef soften. Certainly feel free to leave this simmering all day, though. I left mine for 8 hours on this rendition and by dinner time, it was complex, dark and the beef was fork tender.
  4. Be sure to add salt as it’s needed throughout the cooking process. Be sure to taste it and if it needs extra salt, please add!
  5. Serve this up in a bag of single serve Fritos, topped with shredded cheese and scallions.

Did you make this recipe?

Leave a comment below! I'd love your feedback!

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*Original recipe by Joanie Simon (Joanie Simon Media)

About Joanie Simon

Joanie Simon is an author, food photographer, and certified health coach. After turning around her own inflammatory conditions and metabolic health through blood-sugar-friendly eating, she develops recipes that prove steady blood sugar doesn't mean depriving yourself of great food.

Comments

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  1. Karly says

    September 19, 2016 at 7:15 am

    YAS girl! Can't go wrong with tacos in a bag during tailgate season! Cannot wait to get this station goin'!

    Reply
  2. Karen Kelley says

    June 25, 2017 at 8:06 am

    For the multitudes of people who are deathly allergic to peanuts, adding peanut butter to this meat mixture is dangerous. Most people wouldn't even think to ask if there was any peanut product in a taco meat dish.

    Reply
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    April 21, 2018 at 6:13 am

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  4. BBJCHA says

    June 15, 2018 at 7:16 am

    Looks great, I'm going to do this. Just curious if you're using the 1 or 2 oz. bag of Fritos. The 1 oz. seems like it wouldn't hold very much.

    Reply
    • Joanie Simon says

      June 15, 2018 at 9:04 am

      I can't recall, but I'm pretty sure the 2oz is the way to go 🙂

      Reply
  5. Stacie Sandall says

    September 03, 2018 at 11:22 pm

    A thousand ingredients for a simple Frito Pie? Moving on......

    Reply
  6. Henry Larry says

    December 12, 2023 at 2:56 am

    Love the creativity in adapting the Nutty Chili into a tailgate friendly Frito Pie. Your suggestion about adding various toppings beyond the usual onions and cheddar is spot on.
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    January 04, 2024 at 7:30 pm

    I really enjoyed this dish. Keeping it simple and delicious my friend! Awesome work!

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photo of Joanie Simon, author of The Glucose Gourmet

Hi, I'm Joanie

I teach food lovers how to get off the glucose rollercoaster and stabilize their energy without giving up the foods that bring them joy.

From viral cottage cheese pizza to sourdough bread, I use data-backed hacks to turn family favorites into metabolic wins.

More about me

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